Harambe alone isn't necessarily controversial, but the May 28 incident in which a 3-year-old boy got into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla enclosure that led to the gorilla being shot and killed plagued the park. Memes and jokes persisted months after the incident and the zoo's director, Thane Maynard, told The Associated Press the zoo was "not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe." But in the internet age, nothing ever really dies, and even in December, there are still people actively tweeting about Harambe the gorilla.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was mostly surrounded by controversy once emails began to surface. Leaks plagued her campaign, including emails sent from a private server while she was working as Secretary of State and pieces and full versions of other paid speeches she gave to banks and other organizations.